Mammary Ductal Environment Is Necessary for Faithful Maintenance of Estrogen Signaling in ER⁺ Breast Cancer

Abstract

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Sflomos et al. (2016) describe a robust preclinical animal model of ER⁺ breast cancer. The authors identify the critical role of the breast microenvironment in determining hormone response of ER⁺ breast cancer cells and in driving the luminal phenotype of breast cancer.

Figure 1. Historical Perspective of Animal Models of ER⁺ Breast Cancer

Timeline provides chronological context to the nearly 20-year-long refinement of animal models for the study of ER⁺ breast cancer, one of the leading contributors to cancer-related death worldwide. Animal models are broadly classified as mutagen-induced, genetically engineered, and xenografts, and brief descriptions of their principal characteristics and associated disadvantages are provided in the text blocks below each classification. DMBA, 7,12-dimethylbenz(A)anthracene; E2, 17-beta-estradiol; ER, estrogen receptor; ESR1, estrogen receptor 1 gene; MIND, mouse intraductal model; PDX, patient-derived xenograft.